The present invention is directed to an imaging medical examination apparatus, particularly a magnetic resonance apparatus or a computer tomography apparatus, in which the examination apparatus comprises a through opening for the acceptance of an examination subject or of a patient to be examined. A bearing or support mechanism for the examination apparatus includes a bearing plate for the examination subject or patient.
In magnetic resonance apparatus, particularly nuclear magnetic resonance tomographs, as well as computer tomography apparatus, it is standard to scan a patient in a longitudinal direction to obtain a three-dimensional scanning of the patient. In computer tomography, the patient is introduced into an opening of a gantry for this purpose and is conducted therethrough in steps or continuously until the region of the patient to be examined has been completely scanned. An acceptance region or examination region is, thus, located in the opening, wherein a two-dimensional disk-like image is registered at each step. In nuclear magnetic resonance tomography, the patient is introduced into an opening of a housing that, for example, encompasses a magnet. The patient must be moved to such an extent until the body part to be examined is positioned in the exposure region. A 3D data set can be generated after the patient has arrived at this position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,884, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto and which claims priority from German Application 42 24 036, discloses a patient supporting apparatus or bearing apparatus to introduce a patient in an opening of a medical apparatus, such as a computer tomograph.
It is required for some examinations to implement a scan that covers the entire body of the patient. This should occur without repositioning the patient in order to avoid any unnecessary stress on the patient and also on the personnel operating the examination device. The known bearing mechanism comprises a bearing plate for the examination subject or patient that can be introduced into the opening boom-like proceeding from one side of the opening. The known bearing mechanism is limited in terms of its scan length, so that numerous examinations cannot be implemented with it
The present invention is based on the object of providing an examination apparatus so that greater scan lengths can be achieved.
This object is inventively achieved by an examination apparatus that comprises an endless and/or circulating conveyor belt or endless and/or circulating conveyor band for transporting the bearing plate into and through an examination apparatus. The arrangement includes at least two end rollers or deflection rollers on opposite sides of the examination apparatus for moving a conveyor band or a conveyor belt in two opposite directions between the end rollers, so that the conveyor band or, respectively, conveyor belt can be moved through the opening at least in one direction.
The bearing or support mechanism of the examination apparatus accordingly comprises a circulating continuous band or circulating continuous cable, which has the advantage that the bearing plate can be displaced over a great distance and, thus, a large scan region can be realized. What is understood by a deflection roller in conjunction with the invention is every rotatable or stationary element with which the change in direction of the belt can be achieved, such as the end of a belt, and can be, for example, a wheel or a shaft. The conveyor belt could, for example, also be referred to as a conveyor string, conveyor cable or conveyor wire.
An opening in the sense of the invention need not necessarily be enclosed on all sides. For example, it can be established by the interior of a C-shaped component part by a recess or by a cavity.
According to a preferred embodiment, the conveying length of the conveyor band and/or belt is greater than twice the height of an adult human patient and greater than four meters. What is thereby referred to as a conveying length is a length over which an article can be transported with the assistance of the conveyor band and/or conveyor belt. When the conveyor band or belt is respectively deflected oppositely in parallel by the deflection or end roller, the total length of the conveyor band or conveyor belt is approximately at least twice as great as the entire conveying path. Given the implementation of the conveyor band or belt with the preferred length, an advantage occurs for the bearing mechanism that a patient can be comfortably placed on one side of the medical examination apparatus and the entire length of the patient can be conducted through the opening and, thus, can be scanned.
Preferably, the conveyor band or belt is implemented elastically at least on its surface and, in particular, has an inside equipped with extension-reducing fibers.
According to another preferred embodiment, the bearing plate and/or conveyor band or belt is fashioned so that the bearing plate can be transported by the conveyor band or belt on the basis of a non-positive lock, particularly on the basis of frictional force. As a result thereof, it is possible in an especially simple way to bed the patient onto the bearing plate when the bearing plate is removed and to couple the bearing plate together with the patient to the conveyor band or belt. The coupling, for example, occurs only in that the bearing plate is placed on the conveyor band or belt. The frictional forces generated by the weight of the bearing plate between the bearing plate and the conveyor band or belt suffices, in particular, for moving the bearing plate forward.
For example, the bearing plate and the conveyor band or belt, thus, engage non-positively as well as positively in one another. The conveyor belt or band can comprise a toothing for this purpose, whose teeth engage into recesses on an underside of the bearing plate.
Preferably, the bearing plate and the conveyor band or belt do not engage positively into one another, particularly that the bearing plate is freely displaceable in the conveying direction on the conveyor band or belt. The advantage for the operating personnel occurs therefrom that the bearing plate can be placed onto the conveyor band or belt without having to pay attention to an engagement of the positive locking elements.
There is preferably no fixed connection between the bearing plate and the conveyor band or belt. In the case of the positive implementation with toothing and recesses, this means that the bearing plate can be separated from the conveyor belt or band merely by lifting and removing the teeth from the recesses.
The bearing plate, thus, largely lies loosely on the conveyor band or belt. Guide rails or retaining rails can be present for lateral guidance.
The conveyor band or belt is preferably fabricated of a plastic material, particularly rubber, and is optimally fabricated of soft component parts. The implementation of the conveyor band or belt with a plastic material has the advantage that no metal parts for disturbing the operation of either a nuclear magnetic resonance tomograph or of a computer tomograph are introduced into the examination region. This, for example, cannot be avoided if a worm drive having a metallic worm were present instead of the conveyor belt, and the metallic worm extends through the opening of the medical examination apparatus.
In order to avoid disturbing metallic influences, the bearing plate is also fabricated to be metal-free to the farthest reaching extent and is essentially composed of a plastic reinforced with fiberglass or reinforced with aramid fibers for magnetic resonance examinations and is essentially composed of plastic reinforced with carbon fibers or aramid fibers for computer tomography purposes.
The conveyor belt is preferably conducted horizontally with a flat side, so that the bearing plate can be placed onto the conveyor band with its underside engaging the band. In particular, at least one of the deflection rollers is driven by a drive means for driving the conveyor band or, respectively, conveyor belt.
Alternatively or additionally, a drive motor can be integrated into a foot or base of the bearing mechanism. A drive roller for driving the conveyor band or belt can also be integrated into the foot.
Other advantages and features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, the drawings and claims.